14: Speak of the Devil

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"Hoseok, you're here too?"

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"Hoseok, you're here too?"

"You can call me Hobi. I'm here to help you and Tae." Hoseok winked and beckoned for her to come look at a row of wallets, sunglasses, and scarves. She followed, inhaling a sharp breath when he took a pair of aviators from the wall.

"These would look great on you," he situated them above her nose, smiling at the result. She couldn't breathe. Wiping her hands off on her sweater, she used two fingers to take them off. Hoseok asked, "What's wrong? You don't like them?" 

"Too expensive. All of this."

His lips formed a downward "U." He shrugged a few seconds later, picking a pair and putting them on his face. While Grey thought he looked stellar, she heard Taehyung from across the store.

"Try another pair."

She found the other man sifting through a rack of shirts near the back, face scrunched in concentration. Without trying, he appeared serious and so did the ball of sunshine by her side who had already picked another pair and was busy trying to slide them on her nose. She went still, careful to not let the things drop.

"I can't make a judgment when you make that face."

"What face?"

"This one," he said, puckering his lips and squinting his eyes. He shook his head at her, adding a funny noise. She laughed, gently pushing him in the chest. Staring into his deep eyes, she wished they would sparkle a bit more. They were so close, but it was like the light radiating from him was tame, subdued. Was that one of the consequences for the Fallen?

She hadn't realized she was still glued to him until he removed the glasses, and even then she realized he was staring back. Quickly finding the floor, she rubbed the back of her neck and turned to face the wallets.

"Really, Hoseok. I can't afford any of this."

"You don't need to worry about that with your new card. You have it, don't you?" 

She nodded, the black card safe in her jean pocket. He returned to smiling while examining the wallet she picked up. It was pale pink, the signature logo gleaming gold over the clasp. "I'm not going to spend my first paycheck so irresponsibly."

"What if I told you that you had to?"

He crossed his arms while she raised an eyebrow. "You can't make me."

"It's my money, so I can."

"What?"

"We wanted to make sure you were secure in case something happened to you or you separated from us for some reason. So, all seven of us put money into your new account on top of your paycheck. You have more than enough for whatever you want."

To think, last week she'd been taking orders at The Parlour and relying on good tips for remembering orders and using basic manners. She was making her rent month by month, pouring everything into that manuscript saved on her laptop so that she could be the next Stephanie Meyer. Grey grabbed at the hem of her sweater, needing something to help take the edge off all the induced anxiety. 

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